Disney returns to weekly episode releases for Disney+

While Netflix defined binge culture, new streaming services decided this isn't the route to take to help them survive. We look specifically at Disney's upcoming Disney+ service. Executives from the company talked about moving to a weekly episode release at its recent D23 Expo. Disney wants its shows to come out once a week, giving people something to look forward to each week and the show and their service more exposure over time.

Netflix has the advantage of dropping episodes at once because of its big stable of both original and licensed content. Disney doesn't have that yet, and they need to build and grow their subscriber base. Disney is looking for ways to make sure its subscribers are engaged for extended periods of time. One way of doing that is tying new content to beloved franchises, and then offering these to its users piece by piece. That is one way to keep them hooked. And they need people to stick around, mainly since they aim for 10 million customers by the end of 2020. This approach might be the best thing for them.

Source: The Verge 

Here's your first look at 'The Mandalorian'

If you weren't at the Star Wars Celebration, then you wouldn't have seen this trailer. But now, Disney and Lucasfilm just released to the public the first trailer for Jon Favreau's Star Wars series: The Mandalorian. There aren't many words exchanged in the trailer, but we see a lot of fighting spaceships, battling droids, and grittier action than we usually see in a traditional Star Wars film. The feel of the trailer is in line with Favreau's goal to bring a "darker, freakier side of Star Wars" to the public.

Boba Fett and his father, Jango, inspire this series. Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones) steps in as the new Mandalorian. The story helps fill in the gap between Return of the Jedi and right after the fall of the Empire and the rise of the First Order. It answers questions of what happened on Tatooine during the time between the trilogies. The Mandalorian is going to be the first Star Wars live-action TV series, and one of the main pulls to get people to subscribe to Disney+.

Source: The Verge

Disney+ is coming to Canada on November 12th, will stream on a number of devices at launch

We now get confirmation that Disney's streaming service will launch in Canada at the same time as it will in the US. Disney+ will be coming on November 12th for CA$8.99. And it will be available on the following devices: Apple TV (tvOS-supported models), iPad, iPhone, Android phones, Android TV, Chromecast, web browsers, PlayStation 4, Roku streaming players, Roku TV, and Xbox One. There is no word yet if it'll be coming to Amazon's Fire TV platform.

Disney has also confirmed that customers can subscribe to Disney+ on iOS devices and other platforms. And the company plans to integrate its content with the Apple TV app.  So, those who look for shows or content to watch on the app will get to see Disney shows/films there as well. Disney hasn't mentioned whether it'll integrate with channel marketplaces like Apple TV Channels or Amazon Prime Channels. But the Disney+ app will have dedicated sections for each of the company's major brands, support for offline downloads, and the ability to stream select content in 4K HDR.

Source: The Verge

Disney wants to clamp down on password-sharing for its Disney+ streaming service

Disney / Sam Machkovech

While the legality of sharing Netflix passwords has been questioned in the past, the company hasn't done much to stop its users from engaging in such activity. Disney, on the other hand, won't be as lenient. They struck a new deal with Charter Communications that will allow customers to purchase Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+ as a bundle through Charter's Spectrum TV. As part of the deal, the two parties agreed to work together to clamp down on the habit of password-sharing. Disney is adamant that its exclusive content stays in the hands of those paying to watch them.

Charter hasn't offered up any details on how they intend to crack down on the password-sharing. And it will be interesting to see how prospective subscribers might feel about this and whether this would affect their desire to subscribe.

Source: Ars Technica